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The Evolution of Desire

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The Evolution of Desire

By: David M. Buss
Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
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About this listen

If we all want love, why is there so much conflict in our most cherished relationships? To answer this question we must look into our evolutionary past, argues prominent psychologist David M. Buss. Based one of the largest studies of human mating ever undertaken, encompassing more than 10,000 people of all ages from 37 cultures worldwide, The Evolution of Desire is the first work to present a unified theory of human mating behavior.

Drawing on a wide range of examples of mating behavior - from lovebugs to elephant seals, from the Yanomamö tribe of Venezuela to online dating apps - Buss reveals what women want, what men want, and why their desires radically differ. Love has a central place in human sexual psychology, but conflict, competition, and manipulation also pervade human mating - something we must confront in order to control our own mating destiny.

Fully revised and updated to reflect the very latest scientific research on human mating, this classic work of evolutionary psychology explains the powerful forces that shape our most intimate desires.

©2018 David M. Buss (P)2018 Hachette Audio
Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Young Adult Thought-Provoking Evolution Psychology
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Very nice book. A must read

Most of what you will hear is most probably well known to you. But her e it is based on statistics and validated. Well explained and backed up. There a re few weird facts as well, which makes the book even more vivid reading. The narrator is OK for both x1.5 & x2 speeds.

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100% must read/listen

This is a must read/listen to understand MOST of the social dynamics when it comes to dating.
It's interesting to see how much is explainable by evolution.
The book only uses statistical data and studies, no opinions. The author is clearly not biassed.
He does cover some "sensitive" topics and I did see some negative reviews of people who seem to be offended by some of results even though the author did his best to adress this. If you are looking for a romanticized/fictional book about dating, this is definitely not for you.

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Excellent book

Buss is a great writer and thinker. A lucid explanation of the evolutionary baggage men n women carry. It’s great society gets on men to reign in their biological drive for variety in sex partners. Economist.com had a story on how most polygamous societies also most violent and least development ...but, besides society harping on the Weinstein’s, this book highlights the baggage women have that contributes to societies ills...that seems most media keeps mum on. The best antidote is awareness, so we can work to reign these in. Highly recommend this as well as The Red Queen by Matt Ridley.

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7 people found this helpful

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Extremely Informative, Highly Scientific

This book has been amazing! As a young adult male, I am grateful for this book to shed light on everything concerning sex, marriage, short term relationships, even cuckolding and rape. Before reading this book, I imagined men were at a disadvantage when it comes to the sexual market place because casual sex is much harder for the average man to obtain than average woman, but I have seen and understood the problems females face as well, for example, trying to find a man who can support the family, and risk of rape.

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very informative!

I learned about this book through a podcast so I rushed to listen to it afterwards and was not disappointed! it will answer so many questions you might have about mating behavior and other patterns you may have noticed but not fully understood how or why it happens.

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Informative

It’s packed with a lot of information, I have the audio version and I’m going to delisted to understand it better. I would recommend it to myself.

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SO educational!

I learned so much about why we do what we do, one of the most educational books I have read as an adult. I will carry this information with me for the rest of my life!

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One of the best books what I recommend to survivor

There are few books what give you the AHA moment, and this is one of them. I highly recommend this because you will have a complete overview what is happening in planet Earth and why - if you are a human.

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Brilliant book!

David M. Buss, PhD teaches evolutionary psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. I have read one of his previous books, THE MURDERER NEXT DOOR which was absolutely fascinating. THE EVOLUTION OF DESIRE must rank as the current definitive book on mating, mate selection, mate strategies of men and women, rape, etc. Humans have evolved their mating strategies in the early hunter gatherer societies. Dr. Buss and his colleagues have performed numerous experiments in numerous cultures around the world. He has read widely in the literature and freely cites studies by other researchers. This could truly be subtitled "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask" the title of a book published years ago by another author.

In his conclusion Dr. Buss is careful to point out that the traits men and women have inherited from our hunter gatherer ancestors do NOT mean we should act in that fashion, e.g. men pursuing multiple female sex partners to produce more offspring. Nor does the fact of these inherited traits give us an excuse to act in improper ways. We have the capacity to behave appropriately and morally.

The book is a real "tour de force." I cannot recommend it highly enough. The reader, Greg Trembly, is one of the best I have heard on any of the Audible books I have purchased.

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#MyNonFictionAddiction

A concisely written & well articulated detailing of a tale as old as time; the "Mating-Game" is one that shows no signs of ending ANY time soon! An interesting & thoroughly enlightening read!

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